The best Dr Seuss books
Using a limited (yet imaginative) vocabulary and splendiferous rhymes, Dr Seuss books have taught generations of children to love to read.
Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss
Theodore Seuss Geisel (aka Dr Seuss) published his first children’s book in 1937, after 27 publishers rejected it. Today, Dr Seuss is the best-selling author of kids books in the world.
Using only 220 words, Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat (1957). Schools were initially hesitant to adopt such an unorthodox way of teaching – but children and parents scrambled for each new story.
For Green Eggs and Ham, Bennett Cerf, Dr Seuss’ editor, bet him that he couldn’t write a book using 50 words or less. The Cat in the Hat was pretty simple, after all, and it used 225 words. Not one to back down from a challenge, Mr. Geisel started writing and came up with Green Eggs and Ham —which uses exactly 50 words.
The 50 words, by the way, are: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you.
See our pick of the best Dr Seuss books below
by Dr Seuss
Long before conservation became a global concern, Dr Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth’s natural beauty. The Lorax is widely recognized as Dr Seuss’ take on environmentalism and how humans are destroying nature. When it was first published, groups within the logging industry weren’t happy about it and later sponsored The Truax, a similar book — but from the logging point of view. Suffice to say, The Lorax is a non-preachy ecological warning that still rings true today. Definitely one of the best Dr Seuss books.
by Dr Seuss
A perennial favorite, and one of the best Dr Seuss books, this wonderfully wise graduation speech is the perfect send-off for children starting out in the world… be they nursery school, high school, or college grads! From soaring to high heights and seeing great sights to being left in a Lurch on a prickle-ly perch, Dr Seuss addresses life’s ups and downs with his trademark humorous verse and illustrations, while encouraging readers to find the success that lies within. Dr Seuss’ final book – published in 1990 – it sells around 300,000 copies every year because so many people give it to college and high school grads!
by Dr Seuss
“Do you like green eggs and ham?” asks Sam-I-am
This timeless Dr Seuss classic was first published in 1960, and has been delighting readers ever since. Sam-I-am is as persistent as a telemarketer, changing as many variables as possible in the hopes of convincing the nameless skeptic that green eggs and ham are a delicacy to be savored. And as mentioned earlier, Green Eggs and Ham uses only 55 words. Kids just love the rhymes, the silliness, and the repetition, making it one of best Dr Seuss books you’ll find.
by Dr Seuss
Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat because he thought the famous Dick and Jane primers were insanely boring. Because kids weren’t interested in the material, they weren’t exactly compelled to use it repeatedly in their efforts to learn to read. So, The Cat in the Hat was born. “I have great pride in taking Dick and Jane out of most school libraries,” he said. “That is my greatest satisfaction.” For this fact alone, The Cat in the Hat deserves it’s place as one of the best Dr Seuss books.
by Dr Seuss
Dr Seuss’ first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was famously rejected 27 times according to Guy McLain of the Springfield Museum in Geisel’s hometown. Only after Geisel bumped into a friend who’d just been hired by a publishing house did the book get the green light. “He said if he had been walking down the other side of the street,” said McLain, “he probably would never have become a children’s author.” Both the author and the hero in the book, young Marco, prove that a little imagination can go a very, very long way. The first, and still one of the best Dr Seuss books you’ll read.
by Dr Seuss
In this timeless, moving, and comical classic we discover that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” Thanks to the irrepressible rhymes and eye-catching illustrations, young readers will learn kindness and perseverance from the very determined—and very endearing — Horton the elephant. A genuine classic… and also one of the best Dr Seuss books.
by Dr Seuss
A perfect gift for new parents, birthday celebrations, and happy occasions of all kinds, this collection of five beloved Beginner Books by Dr Seuss—The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, and Fox in Socks—will be cherished by young and old alike. Ideal for reading aloud or reading alone, they will begin a child on the adventure of a lifetime! Essentially a hit parade of the best Dr Seuss books.
by Dr Seuss
The simple but sage words of Dr Seuss have helped many a child (and grownup) along the complicated road of life. For those who need reminders, here is a collection of some of the good doctor’s wisest and wittiest sayings, on subjects as varied as “Equality and Justice” and “Facing Up to Adversity” to “The Art of Eating” and “The First Nerd”! A perfect gift for all occasions, ideal for sharing among generations – now with a “gift tag” on the jacket flap for consumers to personalize! Granted, this is one you may not be familiar with, but for us it deserves it’s place as one of the best Dr Seuss books.
by Dr Seuss
These fabulous, whimsical paintings, created for his own pleasure and never shown to the public, show Geisel (a.k.a. Dr Seuss) in a whole new light. Depicting outlandish creatures in otherworldly settings, the paintings use a dazzling rainbow of hues not seen in the primary-color palette of his books for children, and exhibit a sophisticated and often quite unrestrained side of the artist. The 65 color illustrations offer a whole new perspective on the world’s most loved and best-selling children’s book author/illustrator. And one of the best Dr Seuss books (for adults) for sure.
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